The present is indeed a time of great change in discoveries and technological innovations. Such progress is prevalent throughout all areas of science including healthcare and medicine which have taken huge leaps forward in recent times.
The quantum surge in medical knowledge and ingenuity can be particularly observed in the area of reproductive medicine. The development of assisted reproductive technology (ART) is undeniably taking place rapidly. The main highlight of ART is its technological ability to help infertile couples to have children on their own. As a result, this surge of technological advance changes parenthood from that of chance to choice. Everyone can now be a parent with the assistance of technology.
There are a number of ART techniques that have been developed to overcome certain reproductive inabilities and difficulties. Some couples face the inability to produce offspring through conservative methods. In this case, ART offers them in vitro fertilisation (IVF), a medically assisted procreation technique where human embryos are fertilised in the laboratory followed by embryo transfer into the maternal uterus.
Some others may suffer from the lack of functional female or male gametes, thus, diminishing their chance to produce offspring that is linked to them via the genetic aspect. However, by utilising a donated gamete or embryo, a couple is able to have a child that is linked to them via the gestational process.
In another scenario, a couple may express the desire to have a child but the female partner is not medically capable or due to certain reasons, refuses to go through gestation. A surrogacy method where another woman bears a child on behalf of the first female is introduced to overcome such a problem.
In some cases, infertility can be specifically due to the absence or non-functional uterus. Rather than having another woman to bear a child on her behalf, a woman with such a problem may choose to undergo a uterus transplant so that she is able to bear a child on her own.
The technological intelligence in ART brings a lot of changes to reproductive medicine that is beyond imagination. In recent development, the ability of ART is not restricted to overcome childlessness and infertility. It also offers the solution for inherited mitochondrial disorders that cause severe health problem and ultimately lead babies, children and young people to death.
Mitochondria are inherited from the mother to the child. Thus, mitochondrial disorders due to mutated mitochondrial DNA are transmitted by maternal inheritance. In order to avoid this situation, a technique that involves mitochondrial donation from another woman is introduced. Through this method, a child with DNA from three individuals is procreated.
Indeed, the technological advance in ART to empower reproductive medicine cannot be denied. In that respect, research and development to improvise ART will continue to move forward. However, the application of ART especially to certain communities must always take into account their moral standard. Islam, for instance, emphasises certain guidelines pertaining to the use of ART in reproductive medicine.
First and foremost, it is important to be bear in mind that Islam does not reject the benefits of ART. In fact, Islam encourages the treatment of infertility. However, there are limits to it. Islam allows the use of ART if it complies with one of the fundamental principles of Islam which is the preservation of progeny and lineage.
This means that any ART techniques are allowed to be used as long as they do not involve the mixing of genes. Therefore, the source of sperm, egg, and gametes must originate from the same married couple who intends to be the parents for the child in the future. If this requirement is neglected, it will give rise to a series of unfavourable outcomes such as disputes on parental claims, the right of inheritance and marriage guardianship.
Besides the issue of genetic heredity, Islam also adheres strongly to the concept of motherhood from the classical framework. In many cultures such as Islam, motherhood is highly regarded. One of the reasons is because of the sacrifices of the mother when she goes through nine months of pregnancy and delivery (Al-Quran, 46:1; Al-Quran, 31:12).
A woman is honoured as a “mother” not only due to the genetic material she passed on to the child that she carried but also because of hardships that she had to face during pregnancy. ART is supposedly used in order to help couples to treat issues of infertility and difficulty to conceive, rather than eliminate the value of being pregnant and giving birth.
Apart from those fundamental principles, it is important to note that the value of compassion is always being emphasised in many religious and moral teachings including Islam. People should always show compassion towards each other.
While it is undeniable that the desire to overcome the inability to produce offsprings in some is one of the main reasons that drive the huge leaps of technological innovation in ART, they should never rely too much on innovations. Thus, among the many issues that need to be addressed is the stigma on the childless couples and infertile couples/persons is the utmost concern.
Many research that have been published report that such people face tremendous pressure from society due to their condition. Therefore, besides emphasising ART, the cultivation of compassion and love is very highly called for as an effort to protect the dignity of couples with unfortunate reproductive conditions. Such efforts are done with the aspiration to improve attitudes in the matter of childless couples within society.
In summary, there are no limits imposed on doing research and developing new ways of improving reproductive medicine. However, when it comes to application, all possible outcomes should be primarily evaluated, especially those that have possibilities to abuse the fundamental principle and value of certain cultures or religions.
